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Tumamoc Hill Youth Program begins

Take your kids with you to enjoy the outdoors and learn about the environment that surrounds them
Tumamoc Hill
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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill is adding a new program for kids starting Saturday September 20.

It’s called the Tumamoc Hill Youth Program that will be held once a month.

Dr. Elise Gornish, Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill Director and Cooperative Extension Specialist in Ecological Restoration, says this is an initiative to attract more children to the hill and connect them to the Sonoran Desert around them.

It’s aimed for kids ages three to seven where they’ll engage in themed talks about water, soil, and animals — and that talk will be paired with an artistic activity.

“So this Saturday we have an event where someone from Project WET on campus is going to be giving a talk about water and then we have a musician, Mr. Nature. He’s going to lead a music festival for kids and lots of his songs are related to the environment, which is awesome," Gornish said.

TUMAMOC HILL YOUTH PROGRAM

The program is free thanks to a donation they received.

"And actually we have enough funding that we're also going to be doing it next year. So the full year until May, we'll take a break for the summer, and then we're gonna run it again next year," Gornish said.

She says some of these events will be bilingual and they will provide plenty of art supplies.

If you’re interested, head over to the Tumamoc Historic Boathouse at the base of the hill Saturday September 20 at 9 a.m. The fun goes on until 10:30 a.m.

She says next month reptiles and amphibians will be shown and in addition, an artist will guide kids on how to make comic books.

You can learn more about events happening on the hill here.

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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.